First VR Roller Coaster to Send Riders into Space

British theme park Alton Towers has unveiled a new ride today - Galactica, as it's called, is the first of its kind to incorporate virtual reality technology into a roller coaster.

During the thrilling three-minute ride, patrons will be exposed to the depths of space, whirling past molten-covered planets, delving into wormholes, and bringing you to the outer edges of the Solar System. Throughout the flight, you will be guided by Eve, an onboard AI system who will follow the flight plan, navigate you through the cosmos, and keep you safe at all times.

To create this epic journey through space, Alton Towers is repurposing its "Air" coaster with the application of VR headsets, and the addition of new safety features. Special shoulder straps are being built for the belly-down ride, limiting user's head movement to prevent motion sickness. The parks systems will be motion tracking the coaster, and sensors will be monitoring each individual headset, ensuring that the space visuals are perfectly synchronized as you tilt your head. A custom tethering system is also in the works, so the headset will never fall off, and the straps will remain sweat-free. Sounds like they've thought of everything.

The coaster will open to the public in April of this year, and will include a non-VR option for those who wish to ride it the old-fashioned way. But, come on, who wouldn't want to journey into space?